Strong 6.6 magnitude earthquake shakes Papua New Guinea

A strong 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck at the New Britain region in Papua, New Guinea Thursday according to a report by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

USGS reports the depth of the quake is estimated at just 21.5 kilometres (13.4 miles)

"The quake struck 175 kilometres (109 miles) east of Kandrian on New Britain and 577 kilometres northeast of the capital Port Moresby," ABS-CBN News reports.

There was no report of fatalities or injuries. Likewise no tsunami warning was raised by the Pacific Tsunami Center.

Last month, a 6.5 earthquake rocked the capital of Bougainville province off the coast of Papua New Guinea with a 6.5 magnitude.

Earthquakes of this magnitude range are common occurrences in Papua New Guinea as the country is within the so called ring of fire, an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim and where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur.